After further investigation, I have to correct my previous statements as it turns-out earning FB Gold, from scratch with zero XPs in the account, is not easy at all!
I was under the impression that,
36 (intra-Europe basic economy) x 5XP= 180XP (FB Gold)
However, I have found out that with each tier earned via XPs, your qualification counter zeros out and you have to earn the needed XPs for the following tier,
20 (intra-Europe basic economy) x 5XP= 100XP (FB Silver)
+
36 (intra-Europe basic economy) x 5XP= 180XP (FB Gold)
+
60 (intra-Europe basic economy) x 5XP= 300XP (FB Platinum)
To further clarify, If I were to be given FB Platinum given in-exchange of EB Diamond after EB closure, as I do not have any XPs in FlyingBlue, I would need to accrue staggering
580XPs/(116 intra-Europe basic economy segments) to re-qualify for Platinum!
Ofc you can reduce your flown legs by flying business/long-haul+XPs via credit-cards.
Unless I’m off somewhere in my calculations,
FlyingBlue is the least attractive and most expensive program and I would definitely NOT chase any status since the benefits are ridiculously out of touch with the amount of effort one has to put into achieving the status!
For example,
Priority Boarding: Zone 1 is reserved for FB Gold/Plat only when travelling Business! Otherwise they’re Zone 2.
Seat selection: Only FB Plat has free opportunity for all seat types. FB Gold only 72h prior to departure!
No free WiFi!
No published Lounge on Arrival.
Only one free checked luggage!
And the list goes on….
And I thought AY+ is out of touch
